Daily Times

What happens to the perception of a religion when the head of a leading religious political party condemns the Women Protection Bill by saying: “This bill is a humiliation of husbands?” This statement itself, in my view, is a humiliation of religion. Does any religion, and especially Islam, promote violence, and that too against the vulnerable, that too against women, that too against family members, and that too against a wife who is the main architect of children and the future of the family? It is beyond any religious, human, ethical, legal, social, and philosophical imagination and justification, yet it is proudly and loudly being declared with a mocking disdain by the so-called promoters of Islam. This statement should have received widespread condemnation by Islamic scholars, analysts, politicians, and promoters of Islam. To the contrary, it has received support from many quarters. And it is not just from religious leaders but from the spokesperson of the chief minister of Punjab, who says that “a resolution for the rights of men should also be tabled and passed in the assemblies as violence against women laws would affect the domestic lives.”

The bill is on violence against women that according to every study is present in almost 70 percent of the households in the country. Domestic violence is one of the biggest reasons for unstable families and for child mental disorders. The first element is that the bill talks about violence against women and not just husbands against wives; it can be mothers-in-law against daughters-in-laws, cousins against cousins, and employers against domestic staff. Thus for our respected leaders to just take it as the protest of wife against husband shows that they have not bothered to read and understand the bill, and that there may be a case of guilty conscience there as well. Aside from the legal aspect, the social impact of the statement given by Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman that this law will help in creating henpecked husbands is what is the most disturbing implication. The mindset prevalent is that the more you suppress the woman the more macho you are, and that Islam gives you this right to do so.

This religious garb to hide personal and political agendas is why there is so much polarisation and extremism in thoughts for and against religion. For any educated and balanced Muslim, Islam is a religion based on equality and respect. The life of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) is a living example of how he protected rights of every human being regardless of gender, sex, colour and creed. In fact, the rise of Islam itself was protection of violence against women. Before the advent of Islam female children were buried alive. It was the Prophet (pbuh) who gave the message that violence against females was unjust and unacceptable. Thereafter he led his life in a way that emphasised the status of women in the household and society. Islam forbids the concept of forceful subjugation. That is why even at the time of nikah (marraige contract), the girl is asked whether she is willing to get into the relationship.

The status of women in Islam was in many ways elevated to the highest level. The right to divorce is just a column on the nikah nama that is mostly cut out by both parents of the girl and in-laws again under the pretext of saying that it encourages breakups. If we look at the first lady Hazrat Khadija (RA), we have factual evidence of how balanced and progressive Islam was, and how it has been degraded deliberately by people who claim to be its representatives. Hazrat Khadija (RA) was the topmost businesswoman of her time; she was a widow and fifteen years older than the prophet (pbuh) when she, impressed by his character, sent him a marriage proposal. It was she who taught him intricacies of trade, and it she who was his mentor and coach in many matters of his personal struggle. Till she lived he did not remarry. Similarly his love and respect for his daughter was primarily to show how he wanted the status of women to be the most respected and precious. Contrast that to the statements issued by men in parliament and ummah, and you understand what a disservice they are causing to Islam. And they are also the reason why we find many practising Muslims in other religions and countries than within our own society.

The Women Protection Bill that was legislated into Punjab Protection of Women against Violence Act (PPWVA) itself is a good beginning but leaves a lot of room for further debate and improvement. The PPWVA provides women with legal and psychological recourse in the form of district protection committees. It also focuses on dispute resolution and family unit rehabilitation. However, the law does not directly criminalise the offence. For criminal proceedings the existing laws in Pakistan Penal Code will have to be referred to. Perhaps one of the biggest flaws in this law is that the main implementation structure — the district protection committees — are not funded by Punjab government and will be run by volunteers and donations. This is almost like abandoning responsibility. What then is the difference between an NGO and a government-run initiative? The lack of ownership, accountability, sustainability and effectiveness are going to make this law become a law only in name.

However, the biggest barrier in any initiative protecting the vulnerable part of society remains the oppressive orientation of opinion leaders. These opinion leaders exploit the ignorant minds by enforcing their own decrees and judgments that have nothing to do with religion, laws and values. These oppressors use money, religion and status to overpower masses into believing and behaving their way. Why they succeed is because there is a huge gap of education in general and religious education in particular. Religion is reduced to an Arabic-cramming process. Whatever way these religious leaders interpret the Arabic language is completely their prerogative. People with real and true research into religion are very few and thus are outnumbered by the unbalanced opinion leaders. In the more developed countries religious bigots do exist but the counter viewpoints balance their existence. The lack of education in lesser developed countries puts a greater responsibility on people like us no matter how few we are to stop this religious degradation by raising voice for the true face and spirit of Islam.

The writer is a columnist and analyst and can be reached at andleeb.abbas1@gmail.com